North To Alaska

Seward's Folly. The Land of The Midnight Sun, The Last Frontier, are slogans that have been attached to Alaska. After returning from a cruise to our 49th state, I will add one more: unbelievably beautiful. The weather was mostly rainy, cold, cloudy or foggy, yet the state's power and majesty were impossible to hide.

As one of things we are doing this year to celebrate our 40th anniversary, Betty and I took the Crown Princess roundtrip from Seattle to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, and a quick stop in Victoria, British Columbia. 

Officially, I am now in love with cruising. We had been on a cruise ship several years ago, but nothing of the scale and glamour of this floating city. Our stateroom was almost 240 square feet, with a queen bed, good-sized balcony with chairs and a table, lots of storage space, and a closet bigger than the one in our master bedroom at home. The shower was hot and the bathroom well equipped. Frankly, I wouldn't have changed a thing about the room even if I could. It took me two days to feel comfortable with the ship's layout and how to best use our time - then, I was hooked.

Nearly a dozen different dining options and nearly as many lounges and bars, Vegas quality night time shows, comedians, musical groups, educational seminars and lectures, movies outside by one of four pools, a putting course, library, and full fitness center made it impossible to feel bored.

One of several lounges

850 seat theater

relaxing in the library, filled with books, games, and Alaska guidebooks

We left the ship in Juneau for an excursion to a rain forest garden, glacier, and then up a tram for a stunning view of the harbor and the four massive cruise ships docked at the smallish harbor. In Skagway we took a bus into Canada's Yukon Territory. A mother black bear and her three cubs posed for us along the side of the highway. Returning to town on an old fashioned railroad train, more bear cubs scampered on the hillside. All the while, we were surrounded by massive, snow-covered mountains, lakes, and streams with water pure enough to drink.

Coming into Juneau

our ship in Juneau

A rain forest in Alaska? Yes!

Bundled up at Mendenhall Glacier

The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau

Heading to Skagway

Glacier Bay is home to several, shrinking glaciers that tower up to 250 feet over the iceberg dappled water, or almost twice as high as our massive ship. We came within several hundred feet of the edge and were treated to the "calving" of several icebergs that broke from the edge of the glacier with a noise of loud cracking and booming just like thunder. The ship pivoted 360 degrees so everyone on both sides of the ship had the same spectacular view.

Arriving at Glacier Bay

Ketchikan is the rainiest town in Alaska, with 150 inches on average, so being there in wet weather is not unusual. It is a true fishing port, but also hosted four massive ships during our daylong visit. Because of the conditions we did not get to see the nearby fjords. Instead, we bought souvenirs and gifts for family. Late in the afternoon, I spotted three small whales just a 100 yards away from my seat on our balcony. 

Rainy Ketchikan

The stop in Victoria was for only a few hours, but the skies had cleared so we spent a perfect evening on one of the highest spots on the ship, photographing a perfect sunset and watching a video on the massive movie screen by one of the swimming pools. 

Night time in Victoria

Betty talked me into taking a suit so we could take part in formal night, an evening when many of our fellow passengers dressed up to enjoy a first class meal in one of several plush dining rooms. For daytime and other nights, blue jeans, shirts, sweaters, or even sweatshirts were perfectly acceptable. We also had our picture taken 60 times (I know, I counted!). The pictures we brought home were the best ever taken of us as a couple. 

If you haven't taken an Alaskan cruise, I strongly recommend it. If you have, you can probably relate to our reaction to the seven day experience. Here are a sampling of some more of the nearly 1,500 photos that Betty and I snapped with a camera and our phones.

Our one sunny day - perfect for exploring the Yukon

Finally, the obvious choice to close out the post: Johnny Horton's 1960 hit song




I am already looking at more cruise possibilities next year!

Next time, maybe warmer?